A Song For Aruani
by Brunosaurs4
Summary: Armin and Annie's relationship, through a series of oneshots.
1. All Too Well

I wanted to write something for this couple for a long time. They're so beautiful and complex, and they're my OTP. So I decided to do a series of songfic oneshots (songshots?) for songs that reminded me of them. I hope you like it!

**Disclaimer: ****I d****on't own SnK**

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_**ALL TOO WELL**_

She remembered seeing him for the first time, trying not to collapse in the training field. A small, wide-eyed boy, too weak to be a proper soldier.

He'd stared at her in fear after she'd defeated Eren. She'd ignored him, thinking that he would be titan food on their first mission.

She'd been wrong, hadn't she?

He was shy at first, too afraid to talk. As time passed he grew bolder, making jokes, asking questions, even dissenting with her on occasion.

She'd been cold, then silent, then had finally relented, talking to him whenever he came over. A useless distraction, growing into something treasured during her cursed time as a spy.

She'd loved his eyes. The way they would light up whenever he would talk about things which interested him. He would talk about the outside world, his thoughts and expectations, hopes and dreams, in that quiet, enthusiastic way that was unique to him. She'd just sit there, wondering how to respond, wondering why he'd picked her out of the entire squad to talk to. Wondering why he made such an effort to include her in, and why she'd let him. She'd hated everyone, yet she'd learned to love him, strange and wonderful as he was. And some part of her thought that maybe he loved her back.

Maybe he had.

She could hear him still.

_"Annie, you really are a good person, aren't you?"_

_"Please, you have to help us."_

_"You'll be a bad person to me."_

Was that really his voice, or was she imagining it? Inside the crystal it was hard to know, to separate the real from the imagined. What he'd pretended to be, what he'd actually been, and what he'd been forced to become.

She remembered his eyes. Standing there, looking up at her with those wide, blue eyes. Anger, guilt, sadness.

Hurt. The hurt of the betrayed.

Did he know how much she'd hurt from it? From _his _betrayal? The way he'd finally turned against her?

During her moments of clarity, she wondered what it would have been like, had she turned her back on those she worked for. Sided with Armin instead.

How their life would have been if they could have been with each other. Could they... truly have been together?

But one of it mattered now. What was done was done. He would move on with the Survey Corps, and she would stay here, biding her time.

He would never forgive her and she would never forgive him.

But she wondered if he would still remember her.

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Its short, but I hope it captures the mood of the song (All Too Well by Taylor Swift). Its my first time doing a songfic!

Thanks for reading!

EDIT: I was asked to remove the lyrics to the song, sooooo...


	2. Let Me Take You There

Hey, thank you to those who reviewed!

So, I'm not allowed to put up song lyrics, so this from now onwards these were oneshots based on 'moods' of the songs.

This is based on the song, 'Let Me Take you There' by the Plain White Ts.

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own SnK or the song 'Let Me Take You There'.**

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**Let Me Take You There**

Annie sat in the corner of the room, a mug in her hand and a dubious look on her face. All around her, the members of the 104th Squad laughed and danced their time away in a party. A _party._

Annie had never been to a party. And being in one only made her realize that she didn't like it. It was too loud, and everyone was behaving like an idiot. Not to mention that these were the very people she would eventually betray and kill.

So why was she here?

Pushing aside her half-drunk beer (which tasted terrible) she got to her feet, intending to go to bed. As she made her way towards the door, she noticed Bertholdt and Reiner, standing with Ymir and Krista watching Connie and Sasha dancing very... _enthusiastically_ in the centre of the room. On the sidelines, Mina and Marco were awkwardly trying to dance as well. Even as she watched, Ymir laughingly pulled Krista towards the impromptu dance floor.

"Annie? Where are you going?"

Annie, who'd been momentarily distracted, looked away to see Armin standing in front of her. He smiled, looking at the happy dancers. "Thinking of dancing?" He remarked.

Annie gave him a flat look. "No," she said bluntly, "I'm leaving."

Armin blinked, surprised. Annie side stepped and continued walking towards the door. She wrenched it open, stepping outside into the cool night air, and closed it firmly. She was already down the steps and halfway to their sleeping cabins when she heard the door open again, and heard footsteps coming behind her.

"Annie!"

Annie groaned. Nostrils flaring, she spun around.

"What?" She demanded. Armin stopped, looking nervous.

"Stay. For a little while," he said, biting his lip. "Its- its not going to hurt."

Annie narrowed her eyes. "I don't want to," she said. "Its stupid. I don't... care for parties. Or dances. I'm not here to enjoy myself, I'm here for one thing only: to get into the Military Police."

Armin's face fell. Annie looked away, feeling slightly guilty. She turned to leave, when Armin spoke up: "Well..." he said slowly, sounding thoughtful, "if you don't like the party, then... maybe we can do something else?"

Annie blinked. "What? No," she said impatiently. "Armin, go back inside."

"No!" To her surprise, Armin grabbed her hand, pulling her. "I want to show you something."

Annie resisted his pull, glaring. Armin looked at her, then down at their hands, and let go immediately. "Please?" he said, sounding nervous.

Annie glared for a few seconds more, then slumped. "Fine," she grumbled. "But whatever it is, you better be quick about it."

Armin brightened. Gesturing to her, he ran towards the edge of the compound and into the surrounding woods. Annie followed slowly, wondering _why_ she'd decided to come with him; she had no obligation to, and in all probability what he wanted to show her was something stupid.

_'It won't hurt,_' she told herself,_ 'And he can't hurt me.'_

They went deeper into the woods, scrambling over fallen tree-trunks and clambering up small overhangs. They were going at an incline, Annie could tell, although she couldn't say what Armin's final destination was.

"Just a little further," Armin said a little while later, panting slightly. Annie said nothing, merely continued to follow him. They had to be pretty high up now, she though, although still within the territory of the corps.

"Here we go," said Armin happily, as they stepped out from the woods onto a firm, rocky ledge.

Annie blinked. They were on a high cliff, overlooking a lush green valley. In the center of it lay a wide blue lake, its surface glittering silver under the light of the moon. A faint breeze ruffled her hair, carrying with it the scent of the pine trees. From their vantage point even the wall looked small, a tiny black line in the distance.

Annie looked at Armin, who was watching her triumphantly.

"What is this?" She demanded, her voice neutral. Armin gave her a wide smile.

"I... wanted to bring you here, to show you this," he said, gesturing scene. "Its beautiful, isn't it?"

"What made you think I wanted to see this?"

Armin seemed to deflate a bit. "Well, I- I don't know," he shrugged, biting his lip. "I just... you didn't like the party, and I know you're kind of a-a lone wolf." He gave her a nervous look, then continued: "So I thought, maybe you'd like... this? I mean, you deserve to be happy, to do something fun... I just wanted you to... I don't know. He trailed off.

Annie stared at him. "But why?" She asked. "Why take the trouble? I'm not your friend."

Armin looked surprised. "You _are _my friend." He said. I mean, you-you're... one of us. You're a nice. And you work just as hard as the rest of us. I just... wanted you to relax a little as well."

Annie stared at him, a multitude of emotions in her mind. She looked down, brushing her hair back from her face. Armin watched her, fidgeting nervously.

"You know," he began, "I-"

"Thank you," she interrupted. "Thank you- for this."

Armin looked relieved. "Heh. It's okay," he said, looking embarrassed. "Its not like I made it or anything; some of us guys came here before. Its beautiful, isn't it? Almost like the whole world is stretched out before us."

Annie snorted. "I think the whole world is bigger than this," she said. "And in the wide world you can't see the wall on the horizon."

"Barely," Armin pointed out, "you can barely see it. You could pretend its not there."

"What use is that?"

Armin shrugged. "Gives us hope," he said simply. "Hope that, one day, we'll see the world without the wall separating us from it."

Annie looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "You really believe that?" she demanded. "You still have hope?"

"Yeah," Armin said, "We made a sort of pact when we were little- Eren, Mikasa and I. That we're going to see the outside world, after we defeat the titans."

"And you really believe you're going to be able to do that?" Annie asked him, "you really think we can defeat the titans?"

I like to think so, Armin said, reflectively. "I mean, people are pessimistic, but... maybe there's a way out there. I still believe it. And who knows? Maybe we'll be the ones to find it." He looked at her. "You wanna come with us?"

Annie looked away. "I don't make impossible plans like that, Armin," she retorted. "Castles in the air and all that shit."

Armin's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it, merely nodding instead. They continued to stand silently, the sighing of the wind and the rustling of the trees as they moved in the faint breeze. Fireflies danced in front of them. Annie followed their movements with her eyes, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. It was an oddly peaceful place, and if she closed her eyes she could, almost, forget where she was, who she was, and pretend it all never existed. She could feel Armin's presence next to her, uncomfortably close, and she felt slightly guilty about having brushed his offer off so rudely, no matter now... naive it was. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, to see him staring down at his nails, looking unhappy, and her heart suddenly clenched. He was kind to her. _Why?_

"With you," she muttered suddenly.

Armin looked up, startled. "What?"  
"With you," she repeated. "If you go see the outside world, I'll come."_ If I'm alive. If you don't hate me by then._

A smile slowly grew on Armin's face, and the weight on Annie's heart seemed to lessen. "Good," he said. "We'll-We'll get there. We will."

Annie stared at him. Suddenly, she took his hand in hers, gripping it tightly. 'You're a good person, Armin, she told him, giving him a small smile. "Really."

Armin reddened. He looked down at her hand, then back up at her, and swallowed nervously. "I, um, thank you," he said. "I-"

The tower bell tolled suddenly, making them both jump. Annie let go of his hand, looking back at the woods. "We should go back," she said. Armin nodded slowly.

"Yeah," he said. "We-we should." He rubbed his neck, caught her eye, and looked away, blushing.

They set off down the path again, Armin following Annie this time. They didn't say anything more to each other, mostly because Annie wasn't sure what to say, and Armin seemed content being silent. They arrived back at the dining hall, to hear the sounds of the party still coming from inside.

"They're still at it?" Annie said, frowning. Armin chuckled.

"Its our first party, maybe our last one. I don't think the others are going to stop just yet," he said. He gave Annie a sideways glance. "Are you still going to bed?" he asked, "I mean, you could-" he jerked his head towards the dining hall, then looked hopefully at her.

Annie looked at him, then sighed. "Fine," she said resignedly, "I'll join you."

Armin smiled, and held out his hand. Slowly, she gripped it and followed him up the steps.

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Okay, so I don't know how to write endings.

Eh well, read and review!


	3. Crash And Burn

Aaand I'm back!

This one's based on Crash And Burn (from Savage Garden)

**Disclaimer:**** Still don't own SnK.**

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**Crash And Burn**

Annie watched the funeral pyre, her eyes wide. She felt disturbed.

Mina was dead. Thomas was dead. Marco was dead. And they were responsible for it all.  
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry."

Reiner and Bertholdt were standing on the other side of the fire. She couldn't look at them, not after knowing what they'd done.

_Hypocrite,_ she thought, _you're no better._

Thats what they were. Murderers. They'd murdered their friends, their allies. The knowledge of it lay on her chest like a lead weight, making it hard for her to breath. She blinked, once, twice, then ran a hand over her face, . It came back covered with sweat. Cold sweat.

What had they done?  
She needed air. She needed to breathe. Turning quickly, she walked away, away from the burning, away from the dead. _I_ _don't_ _want_ _to_ _do_ _this_, she kept repeating in her head. _I_ _want_ _to_ _go_ _home._  
But she couldn't go home till she was done. And by the time she would be done the world would hate her. They would kill her. All of them.  
She turned a corner and leaned against the wall, one hand on her chest, trying to breathe. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry."

_I hate myself._

Suddenly, warm arms enveloped her. Annie jumped, instinctively elbowing the person in the gut.  
"Oof!" The person groaned, backing away and letting her go. She turned to see Armin sprawled on the ground. "Armin?" She said, shocked. "What the hell?"

"You looked upset," Armin gasped, rubbing his stomach, "I-I thought maybe you needed someone."  
Annie stared at him. _She would have to kill him too, one day. _

"Go away," she said, turning away to hide her face. "Not tonight. Please."

"Annie." Armin stood up, wincing slightly. He went over to her and hugged her again, more gently this time. "You can't be alone at a time like this. We're-" He paused, chocking back a sob. "-we're all that's left for each other. I won't let you go."

Annie bit her lip, feeling tears well up in her eyes and run down her cheeks. She rubbed them away quickly, angry at her sudden emotion.  
"I'm sorry," she cried, miserable. "I'm sorry."  
"I know," Armin whispered. "Don't hold them back. The dead deserve to be mourned."  
Annie turned around and hugged tightly. Burying her face against his neck, she allowed herself to cry, cry long and hard for everything she'd done and everything shed had to do. Armin rubbed her back, and she could feel him sobbing as well. They sank to their knees, clinging to each other in the darkness and pain.  
_Please_ _don't_ _hate_ _me_, Annie thought, pulling him close, _please_ _don't_ _hate_ _me_ _for_ _what_ _I_ _have_ _to_ _do._ _I_ _hate_ _myself_ _enough_ _already._  
Finally, when her tears ran out and her emotion was spent, Annie pulled away. She pushed her hair away from her face, feeling hot and uncomfortable.

Armin offered her a weak, watery smile. His face was red and puffy. "Better?" he asked, his voice scratchy.  
"Better than you," Annie told him. He gave small laugh, then broke into a cough. Annie took his hand and rubbed it.

"Please don't die Armin," she told him, trying to keep her voice steady. "Please don't-"_ Please don't leave me._

Armin nodded. "I won't," he told her, gripping her hand tightly. "As long as you promise the same." He leaned close, resting his forehead against hers. "We can do this. We can survive."

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Eh, I know its short.

But please review! Thank you!


	4. Somebody That I Used To Know

This one is kinda... dark, I guess?

And thank you so much to tenesubasa for reviewing the last chapter :D

This one is "Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye.

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**Somebody That I Used To Know**

The Crystal had been stood up on supports, tied by ropes, dimly lit by the two torches hanging on each side. Even from the distance, he could see Annie's face inside, eyes closed, as if asleep.

Ironically, it was the first time he had probably seen Annie asleep.

His footsteps seemed unnaturally loud to him in the silence. He approached the crystal slowly, softly, his face expressionless.

"Hello Annie," said Armin softly.

Nothing happened. Armin bit his lip.

"Its good to see you," he said, trying to smile, "We meet again, huh?"

She didn't answer. Of course she wouldn't.

"Can you even hear me?" He asked, a note of insistence creeping into his voice, "do you know I'm even here?"

Silence. Armin swallowed, looking away.  
"I guess I shouldn't expect anything else, huh?" he said, looking back at her, resignation on his face. "I mean, you never really talked, Not even when you did, it was never about you, it was always about everything else." He laughed bitterly. "Three years I've been in love with you. For three years, I've been asking you; 'Talk to me, say something, I'm right here.' But you never did."

He didn't know if she could hear him, if she even was alive or if the crystallization was just some elaborate suicidal plan. He didn't know why he was talking.

"I suppose you had a good reason," he continued, "I suppose there's something- or someone- out there, whom you love so much, that the death of hundred's of people was worth it. Just- next time? I'd like a little bit of warning? Just a little hint, that you're about to betray us?"

Her face looked... blank. She didn't look peaceful, or any such thing; even in crystal, her face was as impassive as it had been in life. Armin placed a hand on the crystal's smooth side.

"I didn't want to do this," he said, softly. "I didn't want to betray you to the Corps. You... you put in me in that position. I thought about it for months, Annie! Months! Just thinking and thinking about- some way that would absolve you. It seemed... fantastic, unbelievable. And yet it was true." He trapped the crystal, looking away. "It was true. You were the titan. You were the enemy."

He let his hand fall. She probably couldn't hear him. Maybe she'd never even wanted to.

"You could have said something, Annie," he finally said, his voice hard. "We could have figured this out. Eren trusts Mikasa, and he trusts me. You could never do that. How was I supposed to trust you?" He sighed, turned and walked towards the door. "I was always here, Annie. I... always waited for you. But you picked your side, and you made me pick mine. And... I can't... forgive you, for that."

She could have been a million miles away, the face he was seeing a picture. As he shut the door, Armin felt empty. He supposed he should be feeling sorry for leaving Annie there, but the truth was, all he'd felt in the room was a giant crystal. Annie, the Annie he'd known and loved, wasn't there.

Perhaps she hadn't, in a way, ever existed.

As Armin walked up the steps of the dungeon, he found Levi standing near the top. The Lance-Corporal gave Armin a quizzical look.

"You were fond of that girl?" He asked.

Armin looked up at him. "Annie?" He asked, his face neutral. "No. She was... just a comrade. Nothing more."


End file.
